Cassell’s history

CASSELLS HISTORY OF THE BOER WAR Original with Ladysmith Historical Society

 

PAGE 31: On the 18^th (October 1899), a week after the expiration of the ultimatum the first shots were fired in Natal. A patrol of the Imperial Light Horse was put scouting and came across some Boer scouts near Acton Homes some 17 miles west of Ladysmith. Here Lieutenant Gennell was shot in the leg-the first soldier of the Queen to shed his blood in this war.

Page 42: Battle of Elandslaagte: Three hundred prisoners, wounded as well as whole, fell into our hands and a bout 150 of the enemy were killed. And if we lost heavily in officers , so too did the foe. Judge Kock, a son of their commandant, was killed; so was Dr. Coster, a lawyer-Hollander by birth- who led the Pretoria detachment. Schiel, the German artilleryman, was wounded and a prisoner; Pretorius also and De Witt Hamer and others of their great public were down.

Page 43:battle of Elandslaagte: On Sunday it was found that two of the guns captured were two that had been taken from the Jameson raiders at Krugersdorp; and the Devonshires were the more delighted at the capture because in rescuing from the foe a trophy such as this.

Page 190: And the last man in the last carriage was a sergeant-major of Engineers, Hocking, who had been invalided home.

Page191 Fort Molyneux: The evacuation of Colenso was not accomplished without some trouble. The town was fortified and one of the strongholds guarding it was called fort Molyneux, garrisoned by a detachment of the Durban Light Infantry. This fort was in a position quite isolated: and the Boers, no mean strategists saw in a moment that it was open to attack. So they attacked in strength. The Durban men, commanded by captain Molyneux, behaved gallantly enough. Nevertheless they would almost certainly have been wiped out to a man had not the Dublins hurried on o their assistance……they saved the garrison of Fort Molyneux…. The leading of the fusiliers was admirable and much of the credit is due to a sergeant-one Sheridan- who directed the fire of his men in first class style.

Page 493-Spioenkop: Lieutenant Audrey, a young officer of the Lancashire fusiliers, a  man of giant strength, jumped ahead of the line, to be first in the trench and he found one Boer who, slower than his companions, had not had the time to get clear away. Audrey chased him. The burgher turned and fired. Audrey ran at him with the bayonet and the steel went through and audrey shouted “Majuba” as he thrust and lifted the Dutchman up as a husbandman picks up a sheaf of corn to toss it in the cart. Thus was the first blood shed.

Page 497/8-spioenkop: One of the first things done upon capturing the position was to erect a heliographic station and, as this was necessarily in the open, it came under the full fire of the Boer artillery. The signallers stcuk to it pluckily, though their post was one of the greatest danger. There were four of them altogether-Lieutenant Martin of the Royal Lancaster, signallers Goodyear of the W Yorks and Lomax and turner of the Lancashire Fusiliers. Hardly had they set up their apparatus than a shell pitched upon it and wrecked it totally. They set it up again and the first message theu qwere able to send awas from Crofton to Spearman’s hill for transmission to Warren as follows: “Reinforcemnents at once or all lost. General; dead”. It was impossible to hold communication by signal with Warren direct.

Buller read the message then telegraphed Warren.

“Unless you put some really good hard fighting man in command on the top you will lose the hill. I suggest Thorneycroft.” Before Warren received this message he had already ordered General Coke to proceed to the top and take command of the force there, but as soon as Buller communicated his wish that Thorneycroft should be placed in command, Warren did as his commander had suggested. So that Coke was in general command of the hill while Thornecroft commanded the fighting line on the summit. Thorneycroft was only a major, holding the local rank of lieutenant Colonel. Hardly had coke reached the top when he was immediately recalled by Sir Charles Warren in order that he, Warren, might obtain a report on how matters stood.

Page 499 Spioenkop: A private named Gilmore reached the trench he aimed at with six others. Gilmore took command, halted his men and fired three volleys at close quarters…….. Gilmore shouted “fix bayonets” and, placing himself at the head of this handful of resolute comrades, rushed upon some sixty of the enemy……the seven of them held that position for the rest of the day.

Page 745 Relief march: First of all came the men who had been foremost in the fray-an escort of South African volunteers, then the general and his staff; then, in the post of honour, came the Dublin Fusiliers.